Edith Cooper, head of human capital management, Goldman Sachs to retire by end of the year

She will be handing over charge to Dane Holmes, who is the global head of investor relations and global head of Pine Street.

Edith Cooper, the global head of human capital management (HCM) at Goldman Sachs, will leave the Company by the end of this year, after a long stint of 21 years.

Cooper will be replaced by Dane Holmes, who is currently the global head of investor relations and global head of Pine Street. His term will start from January 1, 2018.

Cooper has been the executive vice president of Goldman Sachs since 2011 and has also been leading HCM since 2008. She is a member of the management committee and serves as vice chair of the partnership committee.

Cooper joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 and led the firm’s Energy Sales Group. She was named managing director in 1998 and partner in 2000. Thereafter, she was co-head of the commodities business in Europe and Asia, based out of London. In 2002, she handled the firm’s futures business.

Being the most senior black woman in the company, Cooper led the discussion on race and equality.

Before joining Goldman Sachs, Cooper worked at Morgan Stanley and Bankers Trust for almost 10 years combined.

Cooper serves on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Modern Art, Mount Sinai Hospital, the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE), the President’s Council of Howard University, as well as the Northwestern University Board of Trustees. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Horizons at Brunswick School.

Goldman Sachs CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, said in a memo “During her nine years as head of HCM, Edith modernised the ways in which we recruit, develop and retain our people, enhancing our world-class talent organisation”. He further added that “Through her commitment to enhancing the professional experience of our people and maximising their talents and potential, Edith has helped to make Goldman Sachs a great place to work”.